Playing card



Patented Aug. 27, 1935 PATENT OFFICE PLAYING CARD Leo Roon, Great Neck, N. Y.

No Drawing. Application October 9, 1930, Serial No. 487,637

2 Claims. (Cl. 273-152) This invention relates to the art of playing cards and more particularly to a playing card having particular facial characteristics as will hereinafter be more fully described.

In the playing card industry, it is considered not only essential, but highly desirable to produce upon the surface of a card and particularly upon the playing surface as high a lustre as possible, the attempt being to simulate in so far as practically feasible a polished celluloid surface as a standard. The purpose of obtaining the high lustre is, of course, to obtain the desired slip" in order that adjacent cards may easily slide with respect to one another and thus facilitating shuffling, dealing and handling generally. It has become a deep rooted belief in the trade that unless the cards are highly polished or have a high lustre, the desired slip will be absent.

While cards having a high lustre as stated may operate mechanically in a thoroughly satisfactory manner, the fact is recognized by thousands of people who play cards that this high lustre is particularly annoying and harmful to the eyes because of the fact that a surface of this character becomes in effect a mirror or reflecting surface which deflects light impinging on the same. It is well recognized by such people as referred to that when high lustre cards are used strong lights from various sources which strike the cards at a proper angle are reflected directly into the eye thereby not only rendering the cards difficult to read, but, in many instances,-resulting in such optical fatigue as to make it impossible to play the game for any length of time and finally causing eyestrain, neuralgia and other undesirable results. The objection to light reflection as stated is particularly noticeable in cards resting upon the playing board, for example, in the "dummy" in bridge or in successive tricks as they are played upon the playing board. If the light strikes such cards at an angle to reflect the light in the form of glare into the player's eyes, it is at times practically impossible to see what cards are on the board.

My experience with such-conditions as hereinbefore stated has resulted in exhaustive experimentation and research to overcome the disadvantages to which I have referred in order that some comfort may be had by people who desire to play cards and yet who have light-sensitive eyes. As a result of such experimentation and research, I have concluded that highly lustrous cards are open to the objection stated and if a non-lustrous surface is provided, these disadvantages are not present. In other words, a

to overcome.

lusterless or dulled surface which is in effect nonreflective, but on the contrary light diflusing'in its character will not tire or detrimentally affeet the eyes and may be read more clearly in strong lights than cards having a highly lustrous surface.

I am aware that so-called matte surfaced cards-have heretofore been suggested, but should not be confused with the card of this invention. "Matt finish" has a definite technical meaning which has been specifically defined by the Committee on Classification of Papers, A. P. P. A. in a publication entitled Classification and Delinition of Papers", edited by Clarence J. West. Director, Research Information Service, National Research Council, published by Lockwood Trade Journal Co. Inc., N. Y., 1928, as follows:

Matt finish. A term used in connection with coated paper to indicate that it has not been calendered."

A calendered paper has been similarly clefined in such publication as any paper with surface glazed by means of calenders "Glazed board", such as used in playing cards, is defined as a board glazed or polished to a high surface by any process.".

Hence a matte surface, as used in the paper or cardboard art, is a coated paper which may be either glazed or polished, but which has not been calendered."

Lacquered cards have also been heretofore suggested as having matte surfaces, but so-called matte lacquers are referred to specifically in United States Patent No. 1,756,528, dated April 29, 1930, in which the patentee, Tight, states:

Certain of such lacquers have been called matte finish lacquer. These lacquers, however, being made of high viscosity cotton, leave a thin film or coating on the work and the resulting gloss cannot be controlled sufficiently to in any manner leave the desired fiat dull effect It should be understood, therefore, that these lacquers not only lack the necessary thickness of film but the resulting lustre of such lacquers is entirely too high to simulate the rubbed eflect Consequently, the so-called matte" surface cards which have been heretofore suggested are in no sense light diffusive or dull in the sense of this invention, but, on the contrary, shine brightly with reflected light and reflect glare. All cards heretofore on the market are glare refiective and are notoriously open to the very ob- Jection which it is the object of this invention My research has further shown that a card with a light diffusing surface may be so made as to have the desired slip so that this essential characteristic need not be absent simply because the card has not a highly polished lustrous surface.

The present invention therefore embodies a playing card having a non-reflective, light diffusing, dull or glare-proof surface for the purpose stated, while having the desired slip as required for mechanical reasons in the playing of cards.

The usual conventional manner of making playing cards from paper or cardboard consists in flrst printing the card, then applying thereto an alkaline casein solution which has a sealing action and serves as a base coat. After drying there is generally applied a shellac and wax solution which after being permitted to dry is acted upon in a polishing machine to produce the high luster which has long been considered necessary and which I have hereinbefore described as detrimental for the reasons stated.

The present invention, in contradistinction, may be accomplished in various ways. One way of accomplishing the desired result is to first print the card, then apply a suitable sealing coat which may have a shellac base, if desired, and thereafter apply to the thus executed work a suitable lacquer, such for example as a suitable lustre free cellulose ester lacquer. However, organic binders, for example synthetic resins, dissolved in organic solvents may be employed if desired, in the finishing coat. This finishing coat will be transparent so as not to in anywise obscure the printing on the face of the card, but will nevertheless produce a lusterless light diffusing surface which will not reflect glare.

Aqueous solutions of resins or colloidal materialsmay be used to produce a top coat, although it is possible in accordance with this invention to manufacture the card with glossy or high lustre surfaces, and thereafter render the said surfaces non glare reflective and light diffusing by treating the same with appropriate waxes or by mechanical modification of the surface as by abrasion to eliminate or cover the light reflective surface in a manner to render the same non glare reflective. It is also within the purview of this invention to utilize a card with a non glare reflective surface, such as a coated board and by printing thereon with inks drying to a non glare reflective and light diffusing surface.

The examples which I have given are not intended to restrict the invention in details of manufacture or to particular processes in this connection for, the reason that the present invention contemplates as a novel article of manufacture a playing card the surface of which is non glare reflective and light diffusing in its character or is reflective to such a low degree as in nowise to render it objectionable or injurious to the eyes. In the example which I have first given, I have found that it is entirely practical and feasible to produce cards in this way which will. have the desired mechanical slip to which I have referred, this being particularly true of lacquer surfaced cards with a non glare reflective surface. Such a surface would slip as satisfactorily as a highly polished lacquer surface, but is wholly free from the disadvantages to which I have adverted.

Experience has shown that with cards made as I have stated, persons whose eyes are particularly sensitive to light may play with these cards without any inconvenience, eye-strain or attendant harmful results.

Having thus fully described the invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. As a new article of manufacture, a playing card comprising a cardboard body portion having playing indicia delineated on its front face, and a transparent protecting film-like coating over said front face and over the playing indicia thereon, the exposed surface of said coating having slip and being light diffusive and without luster and having the characteristic that saidsurface will not shine with reflected light or reflect a glare.

2. As a new article of manufacture, a playing card comprising a cardboard body portion having playing indicia printed on its front face, a dull transparent lacquer coating covering said face and the printing thereon, the exposed surface of said lacquer coating having slip and being dull, light diffusive and without luster and having the characteristic that said surface will not shine with reflected light or reflect a glare.

LEO ROON. 

